Leslie Orr

Science writer @wilmotcancer. Former journalist. Wife, mother, grateful 'Mimi' to 3 grands. Runner. Lover of healthy living, art, smart people.

[KATY PERRY @katyperry]

I am deeply appalled and angry to see “Firework” used on the @WhiteHouse TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes. I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.

I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments. To see a message of self-worth and upliftment weaponized to soundtrack destruction and violence is a complete violation of everything my song stands for.

My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare.

[Leslie Orr @leslieorrny]

@peterbakernyt @whca The dinner has always been a bad idea. (And I am a former journalist.) Glad you are waking up to it.

[Leslie Orr @leslieorrny]

@BobLonsberry The WSJ had an interesting story the other day about how resilient Iran is and how they've essentially been able to rebuild everything that we supposedly "obliterated" a few months ago.

[Sahil Bloom @SahilBloom]

A mentor once told me this: Fall in love with feeling like a work in progress. Resist the urge to look polished. You don’t need to pretend you have it all figured out. Nobody does. Embrace your unfinished form. Just commit to getting a better each day and trust where it leads.

[Leslie Orr @leslieorrny]

@BobLonsberry Refs make questionable calls all the time in high stakes sports contests. It's always disappointing. But Trump's meddling was an embarrassment and a stupid egotistical power play. I feel bad for the players and all the negative vibes.

[Face The Nation @FaceTheNation]

Former CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deb Houry said during her time at the agency under HHS Secretary RFK Jr.’s leadership, she proposed a broad NIH-CDC research effort into autism, but told @margbrennan that plan was rejected in favor of a narrower focus on “the ‘Vaccine Safety Datalink’ data for autism.”

Houry later added, “Autism is impacting so many families in our nation. We need to look at it seriously, and not with a conspiracy lens, like the secretary is doing.”

[Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor]

Today marks 250 years since a small group of newspaper editors, farmers, and soldiers signed a document declaring our nation’s independence — a truth that feels self-evident now but was revolutionary then.

What a privilege us Americans have, to live in a nation that every one of its inhabitants can shape. What an honor us New Yorkers have, to look out over our city’s waters from the shores where so many Americans bravely entered their country for the first time.

Today and all days, let us remember that patriotism is not pretending our nation is without flaws. Patriotism is every act of righteous dissent — because loving our country means fighting for the best version of it.

Happy Fourth of July, New York City.

[Leslie Orr @leslieorrny]

@BobLonsberry But I appreciate your message!

[Leslie Orr @leslieorrny]

@BobLonsberry Really? Despite this total divisive bullshit from MAGA?

[Joyce Alene @JoyceWhiteVance]

And this is why discovery is my favorite part of every civil case…

[Leslie Orr @leslieorrny]

@SahilBloom Former journalist here. I gently "interviewed" my 84-year-old mother in Feb 2022, poolside, re: family tree, interesting memories, etc. She was healthy and vibrant and it was a lovely day - and then she unexpectedly died that year in November. Do it!

[Marco Foster @MarcoFoster_]

Sheryl Crow speaks out after Trump’s UFC 250 event: “To stay quiet means to turn a blind eye. And so I am saying this. What happened last night on the lawn of the White House was disgraceful and void of decency. Powerful, rich people filled the lawn to watch a violent sport that ended with a vile and racist comment. All while the average American cannot afford healthcare, gas, and cost of living. Do not be fooled. This administration is corrupt and does not give a damn about the American people. It only cares about making money hand over fist at the expense and in spite of our democracy. If we continue to support this kind of distraction from reality, we are no better than them. Let's be better, America.”

[ANNE LAMOTT @ANNELAMOTT]

Hi God, it's me, Anne, and this is seriously th e last favor I will ever ask for:

[Bri Gillis @Bgilly13]

Dems have been looking for their message for years, and @AnnieAndrewsMD just did it (in under two minutes). Take note 📝

[Leslie Orr @leslieorrny]

This is a gift article, well worth reading for important context.
https://t.co/1qlcwmybpP

[𐌁𐌉Ᏽ 𐌕𐌉𐌌𐌉 @OrevaZSN]

We're in a weird era where a guy gets publicly shamed for running his sprinklers on a Tuesday, while a data center the size of a Costco quietly drains a reservoir so AI can generate a picture of your cat as a medieval knight. And the data center gets a tax incentive for it.

[Leslie Orr @leslieorrny]

@rachbarnhart Why don't you name the owner? PS - you make a good point!

[Maine @TheMaineWonk]

I’ve written a few campaign ads in my day.

But holy shit.

This ad from @ossoff might be one of the best I’ve ever seen.

[Rep. Mike Levin @RepMikeLevin]

This should be on the front page of every newspaper in America.

A Syrian billionaire needed U.S. sanctions lifted so he could cash in on $12 billion in reconstruction contracts.

In an attempt to influence American foreign policy, he proposed a Trump-branded golf course, cut Jared Kushner & Ivanka Trump into a multibillion-dollar real estate deal for a resort in Albania, and had someone physically deliver a stone engraved with the Trump family crest to a Republican Member of Congress with instructions to take it to the White House to get the President's attention.

Trump threw his weight behind repealing the sanctions. They were lifted. The contracts are moving, the Trump family’s deals are expanding, and not a single Washington Republican is willing to say a word about any of it.

This is a corruption of everything the office of the presidency is supposed to stand for, and the American people deserve to know about it.
https://t.co/A4lQE3ktoG

[Leslie Orr @leslieorrny]

@gnuman1979 Is this real?